In a White House press briefing Tuesday, President Barack Obama said he continues to support a public plan option—along with controlling healthcare costs—as part of a broader healthcare reform package. In the process, though, he is being challenged by the health insurance industry, which is trying to scuttle the public plan idea.

In an effort to thwart growing skepticism of a public health insurance option, proponents of the idea are becoming more strident in urging the White House to keep its eye on the prize: Do not compromise in overhauling the U.S. healthcare system so all Americans can have affordable health coverage.

The average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer last year was $12,680—nearly the annual earnings of a full time minimum wage job, according to a new report, Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans are Paying More but Getting Less, released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The border town of McAllen, Texas wasn't on the tip of anybody's tongue before this month. But a few weeks ago, an article in The New Yorker offered it up as exhibit A of all that is wrong with the country's healthcare system, the ground zero of medicine run amok.

CoxHealth is currently awaiting its latest triennial survey at any moment. Fortunately, with a series of survey preparation tools and practices in place, the system's accreditation coordinator was confident in the system's ability to handle the pending survey.

South Florida's well-earned reputation as the Medicare fraud capital of the nation was reaffirmed this week with news that federal prosecutors have arrested eight people and charged them with attempting to bilk Medicare and Medicare Advantage with more than $100 million in fraudulent charges.